Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Lincoln LS owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was driving down the highway at 50 MPH when I heard a loud noise coming from the back passenger side. Then I felt the car go out of control and I managed to safely get the car to the shoulder. My passenger door side airbag came out. When I got out of the car my tire was almost completely of the rim. I had my car towed to the repair shop and they said I needed a new axle, wheel bearing, control arm, rotor, rim and tire. Upon further inspection they realized the rim went through the underside of trunk and damaged battery and electrical components. They estimated it would cost about $3,000 to fix not including the body damage. I just replaced the right front hub assembly and control arm in feb. 2011. I have replaced engine coils and valve covers numerous times.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Lincoln LS. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 50 MPH, the trailing arm became fractured. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the trailing arm failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 131,000.
Both driver and passenger side lower ball joints have fractured, been replaced and have fractured again. The stud post itself continues to fracture above the control arm mounting hole, despite both ball joints being replaced and retorqued to manufacturer recommended tightness.
I have a 2002 lincoln LS v8 the passenger ball joint came loose and broke had it fixed driver side has now came loose and rattling
Ltr re his defective 2002 Lincoln LS, the axle broke and the wheel and the hub came off the car, would like someone to look into this defect. While driving on the garden state parkway, the left front wheel came off and the consumer was pulled into the concrete median strip. Consumer had enough experience not to hit the brake, slight acceleration and he got control of the vehicle. It took a half of mile to get the vehicle across 3 lanes of busy traffic and onto the shoulder. A passerby checked to see if the consumer was o.k. He then informed the consumer the entire wheel fell off. Approx. 30 minutes later the state trooper arrived with the wheel still attached to the hub. It crossed over 4 lanes of traffic and didn't cause an accident. Consumer was told the lower ball joint came off, went into the inside of the wheel and the axle broke. He sustained bruises but no lasting injuries. …
While driving the lower ball joint fell apart. No injury resulted due to a low speed. After talking to a technician at the local Lincoln dealer I found out that Lincoln had changed the design a month after my car was built because they know they had underbuilt the car. I asked the technician if I could upgrade it to the part they used after March of 2002 and he said he didn't know he had never tried it but as far as he knew the parts would bolt up to the car the same, and the part they used on my car was failing on a regular basis and the part they used after March of 2002, as far as he knew never failed. I decided to take the lower control arm off my car and take it to a machine shop and have them machine it to fit the newer/larger stud in the ball joint used after March of 2002, everything worked out good and I have not had any problems. …
My car has numerous parts that tear up repeatedly, within a 6 months time. Valve cover gasket had replaced twice within a 6 months time. The coil packs go up very often. I had panel buttons just tear up for no reason three times! Wheel caps replaced numerous times. Overheating issues, door locking issues, battery replaced twice within 2 years time. Ac issues, (I never used my ac..at all) . This car has a lot of problems on the t.s.bulletin. I contacted Ford in reference to the multiple issues I was having with the car, the company representatives told me to take the complaint to the establishment of which I had been dealing with. Then they said Lincoln is an independent owned establishment so I am totally confused by this whole ordeal, they know that they have had a lot of multiple problems out of that car. And they refuse to recall some of those (as I would say) hazardous issues. …
Tl contact owns a 2002 Lincoln LS. While driving 10 MPH, the contact heard a clicking noise coming from the passenger side front wheel. The failure occurs during both low and high speeds. Firestone checked the tires and stated that the control arm ball joints needed to be replaced. Through research, the contact discovered NHTSA campaign id number 00V359001 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint). The dealer stated that his VIN was not included in the recall, even though the failures were identical. The contact stated that the coil pack was also experiencing failure. Whenever he attempted to accelerate, the vehicle feels as if it will shut off. The failure also occurs while the vehicle is idling. He believes that both issues are manufacturer defects. The failure mileage was 150,000 and current mileage was 161,000.
Ball joint failure. My car was built in March of 2002 and they redesigned it in April to a larger ball joint which I learned by talking to a mechanic at the Lincoln dealer. He said that he fixes a lot of them built March and before but had never had to fix a post March 2002 car. I asked if he had ever upgraded it to the new design he said no, I asked if it was possible he said probably. I took the control arm off the car paid a machine shop $25 to machine it out from 14mm the old original size to 16mm the new redesigned size that Lincoln was putting in it after April and bought and installed a 16mm joint and that's all there was to it. All in all it only took a few hours (depending on the machine shop) and no special tools. If you have any mechanical ability you can do this job in your driveway, I did.
I own a 2002 Lincoln LS I begin to hear a load noise in the tire area on 12 13 2009 I took my care to Goodyear auto and when they went to pull my car in the tire rolled. The suspension and ball and joints and lower arm control had broke it cost me 1026.00. And now the other side is making the same noise. I looked it up and saw that there was a recall for this on my make and model but I was told that my VIN number was not reported as having the problem which it clearly dose. What can I do about this matter I don't know why it is not listed on the recall list but this VIN number has the same problem that the others have.
Suspension complaints in other LS years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 2002 Lincoln LS?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the suspension of the 2002 Lincoln LS, 20% of the model year's 121 complaints. The component named most often is front (9 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Lincoln LS suspension problems?
No. NHTSA lists no suspension recall for the 2002 Lincoln LS. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2002 Lincoln LS suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 100,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 2 injuries to suspension problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.